San Diego Navy Veteran Being Held In Iran

The Navy veteran's brother said he traveled to Iran several times to visit a girlfriend he met online. NBC 7's Bridget Naso has more. (Published Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019)

Iran confirmed Wednesday it is holding U.S. Navy veteran Michael R. White at a prison in the country, making him the first American known to be detained under President Donald Trump's administration.

White's detention adds new pressure to the rising tension between Iran and the U.S., which under Trump has pursued a maximalist campaign against Tehran that includes pulling out of its nuclear deal with world powers.

While the circumstances of White's detention remain unclear, Iran in the past has used its detention of Westerners and dual nationals as leverage in negotiations.

"An American citizen was arrested in the city of Mashhad some time ago and his case was conveyed to the U.S administration on the first days" of his incarceration, Ghasemi was quoted as saying.

White, of Imperial Beach, California, was captured by authorities in late July while visiting his Iranian girlfriend, his mother told NBC News. She didn't want to give more details about his detention in case it would put him in danger.

His arrest was first reported by an online news service by Iranian expatriates who interviewed a former Iranian prisoner who said he met White at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad in October.